She Was a Pianist

She was a pianist. That’s what she always said anyway. Not once in the whole time I knew her did I ever see her play the piano, but that didn’t stop her. She was a pianist, end of story.

We’d been dating for about two months before I questioned her pianist credentials, but she just changed the subject. I didn’t press her at the time because she was very pretty and it’s not often that I have the chance to date pretty girls, so I just let it slide. What did it matter to me anyway, if she did or did not play the piano?

So things progressed, as they do. I’d go to her place, she’d come to mine, we’d meet in the park, we’d go to the mall. Then pretty soon it was her birthday. I was excited about what I’d got her: two tickets to go and see a concert, Chopin’s Nocturnes and Ballades. I’d phoned my mum and asked her for some advice and that’s what she’d said. It was going to be a surprise so I didn’t tell my girlfriend until the day of the concert. I was excited, she was excited, we were both excited. Then I told her and everything changed. She went deathly silent and I got a bit upset.

‘Aren’t you pleased? I thought you liked piano music – you’re always saying you’re a pianist for Christ’s sake! Let’s just go to the damned concert.’She shook her head.‘Why the hell not?’‘I can’t.’‘Why not? What’s wrong? Tell me.’She looked very sad, ‘my brother was killed by a piano.’I was shocked, ‘how?’‘It fell on him’‘While he was playing?’‘We used to live in a big house with a grand staircase. One day, the piano fell down the stairs and crushed him. He was only nine.’‘Jesus, that’s awful!’She nodded.‘So why do you call yourself a pianist?’She looked ill. ‘It was me who pushed the piano down the stairs.’‘Why on earth did you do that?’‘I wanted to see what it sounded like.’

I didn’t see too much of her after she told me that story. The Nocturnes were good though.